Welsh alt-rock outfit Estrons return today with “Lilac”, the first song to be taken from fruitful recent sessions with Alex Newport (At The Drive-In, Death Cab For Cutie, Pissed Jeans). Debuted last night by Huw Stephens on his Radio 1 show.

A further evolution sonically from what has come before, immediate and anthemic, the song marries tense vocals from Tali Källström to the off-kilter, cutting guitars that Rhodri Daniel has become known for. Tali dedicates the song to “an encounter I had with a teenage girl in the early hours of the morning. I drove past her crying in the street with her shoes in her hand and so I decided to turn the car around to check on her. I’d assumed that she was crying about something superficial and I’d also assumed that the man walking a few feet behind her was trying to take advantage. Turns out the man actually lived on that street and the girl was heartbroken because her dad had just been diagnosed with terminal cancer. We often get things wrong because society leads us to create prejudices on genders; the song is myself reflecting on that. It also celebrates human empathy as the girl I helped was genuinely touched that I’d stopped to check she got home okay. I haven’t seen her since that day – but this one goes out to her, anybody who is going through a difficult time and also to all the people out there who have helped me in a crisis. Someone always cares and you can get through it.”